Electric Boat in Quonset is looking for hundreds of new employees, many as a result of new work, and many to replace employees leaving for retirement or other reasons. Brian Howard, EB's human resource manager at Quonset, is this episodes guest. He talks about the opportunities, training, types of jobs EB needs to fill, and working conditions.

Leadership at All Levels led by Gail Alofsin. Gail's guests for this edition are: Beth Shissler - president of Sea Bags, Erika Olivier - Co-Owner of Matt's Local Pharmacy, and Sharon Weber - Founder of SHW Global

John Marion, executive director of Common Cause in Rhode Island, discusses important voting and ethics issues before the general assembly, and issues of transparency at the local level. Specifically, he talks about bills that would allow for early voting, requ9re independent redistricting, and reforming the way Rhode Island chooses its magistrates. Also talked about - transparency in local government, focusing on the Newport Councils closed-door interviews of candidates to fill a vacant council seat and a series of open meetings violations in East Greenwich.

Providence state Rep., Aaron Regunberg, a Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor, who is in a tough primary election with Lt. Gov. Dan McKee, talks about several legislative initiatives he's sponsoring. His bills, if successful, would make it easier for people to testify at the state house, control pharmaceutical costs, limit high capacity magazines, and create a universal health care system in Rhode Island.

February 28th, 2018 01:23pm

Rhode Island Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea joins Frank on this edition. The focus is on cybersecurity, early voting and other important issues with which her office is involved.
Gorbea was elected Rhode Island’s Secretary of State in 2015, becoming the first Hispanic elected to statewide office in New England. Born in Puerto Rico, Gorbea is a graduate of Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School for Public and International Affairs and holds a master’s degree in public administration from Columbia University.

After its conception some 45 years ago, the Providence Newspaper Guild Follies is scheduled to close Friday night. It will end a journey that began in the aftermath of a short, but bitter strike that took some 500 Guild members onto Fountain Street in Providence in the shadow of a newspaper that was revered by the community it served. In the years since its founding it has poked fun at the state’s leading politicians, entertained a variety of mystery guests that included sitting Senators and Governors, and gave birth to some of the area’s most recognized tunes, including Pave the Bay. It was at a back table at Alexander’s Restaurant in downtown Providence, where an education writer and five nightside city staffers gathered for dinner, and where the Follies was born. Carol Young, the education writer who later became the Journal’s deputy executive editor, and who for years was instrumental in the Follies’ success, joins Frank on this edition.

Keith Stokes is the guest as Frank continues to focus on African Heritage Month, exploring the importance of understanding the contributions of all people through the history of our nation, state, and community.

Marvel’s “Black Panther” movie, a film featuring an almost all-black cast, black director, about a black superhero, is “something black people have never seen before … in an age when black people are seeing wrongs done against them in ways that extend beyond film every day, a moment to see blackness as a strength,” said Noel Ransome of Vice Magazine. There has been a nationwide fundraising challenge to raise money to bring thousands of young people to see the film. In Newport, Niko Merritt and the Sankofa Community Connection have embraced that effort, and successfully raised enough funds to enable scores of Newport youth to see the film. Niko joins Frank on this edition of The Open Forum

Ryan Belmore of What's Up Newp joins the conversation about a complaint he filed objecting to the Newport City Council's going into executive session to interview candidates for a vacant city council position. Frank and Ryan also talk about the importance of transparency in government.

Preservation Society of Newport County with special guest Keith Stokes, Vice President of the 1696 Heritage Group, talking about Black History Month and the African American Heritage Experience in early Newport.

Guest: Marty Sinnott, president & CEO of Child & Family, discusses the agency’s 151-year history and provides an overview of its social service programs for at-risk families and other individuals in need, across the life span, in Newport County and RI state-wide.
The need for additional foster families a particular focus of the conversation.

Leadership at All Levels with Gail Alofsin. Guests: Larry Gulko, Brand Strategist and Cohost of the podcast - Name Brands. Brenda Brock, founder, formulator, and CEO of Farmesthetics. Mark Hellendrung, President of Narragansett Beer.

February 8th, 2018 12:50pm

There is one more man you’ll have to watch
He’s always very near
He’s the pitcher for this team
I’m told his name is fear
This game will not be easy
There’ll be struggles and there’ll be strife
To make the winning runs
It’s played on the field of life
– from a poem, “Life”, by Jim “Mudcat” Grant
The spring training camps are about to open. It’s where young men chase their dreams. Willie Rios, 22, a left-handed pitcher whose fastball hits 99 is among them. Willie, entering his second full season in the Baltimore Orioles minor league system joins Frank on this edition of The Open Forum

With President Trump’s first State of the Union address tomorrow (Wedneday), we turn to Darrell West, vice president and director of Governance Studies and holder of the Douglas Dillon Chair at the Brookings Institution, to give us some insight into President Trump’s first year in office, and what to expect as he addresses Congress and the nation. This interview was recorded before the government shutdown and agreement to a budget extension, predicted quite accurately by Darrell.

Former RI supreme court justice, Robert Flanders, is challenging U.S. senator, Sheldon Whitehouse, in what promises to be a spirited campaign. Flanders, a Republican, sees himself as a centrist who can work across party lines. Bob Flanders joins Frank on this edition.

There are only a few weeks left for individuals and businesses to take advantage of Rhode Island’s Tax Amnesty program, a way for delinquent taxpayers to save money on penalties and interest payments and avoid possible further action from the state. For the state, it is a way to collect some of the more than 110 million owed in back taxes by individuals and businesses. Paul Grimaldi, Public Relations office for the Rhode Island Department of Revenu, joins Frank on this edition of The Open Forum

When most people think about music in Newport, they imagine the storied folk and jazz festivals. But in the houses of Newport in July, the mansions that line the streets around Bellevue Avenue, the Newport Music Festival has earned a place among the world’s premier chamber music festivals. From its recent history, when members of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra partnered with the Preservation Society of Newport County in 1969 to the Malkovich years (1975 to 2017), the festival has flourished. Now, Pamela A. Pantos, an internationally acclaimed opera singer with vast experience in theater and business, assumes the executive directorship. Pamela joins Frank on this edition where you can hear her vision, and get a glimpse of this year’s festival.

Interactive Marketing Insights Show
The first edition of an exciting new show on The Open Forum.
Mobile phone photography is crucial for businesses and brands large and small in today's world. It'll only be more-so as marketing and society increasingly favor visual information. Dive into how this impacts brands large and small on this month's Interactive Marketing Insights Show with Newport Interactive Marketers founder & Angles & Insights CEO Suzanne McDonald and Visual-Video specialist Scott Indermaur.

Lt. Governor Dan McKee, a Democrat, joins Frank to talk about what appears to be a competitive primary election, in which he faces Progressive Democrat Aaron Regenberg, a 27-year-old who is in his second term in the House of Representatives.

It was a leaky rowboat that Nick, Ron, and Pete named as kids, using the first two letters of their first names and that's how the name NiRoPe was born. The store's, Cardi's was started as a general store by Nick, Ron, and Pete's grandmother, Rosa. Now, some 90 years later it is among the largest furniture stores in the country, with 20 locations and hundreds of employees. Nick, Ron, and Pete join Frank on this edition of The Open Forum.

These are exciting times for Rhode Island's tourism industry. Eight hotel projects are underway - three in Newport and five in Providence. Longer runways at T.F. Green airport will lead to expanded international flights. Newport's Opera House and Westerly's United Theater are two major theater projects that will preserve their history and expand those communities entertainment opportunities. Evan Smith, president and CEO of Disscover Newport joins, Frank, to talk about the disappointing state initiative and exciting developments in Newport.

Trudy Coxe, from the Preservation Society of Newport County, leads this discussion with guest, Laura Lott, the President, and CEO of, The American Alliance of Museums, for a conversation about the value of and challenges facing museums.

congressman David Cicilline joins Frank and discusses the Democratic economic initiative, climate change initiatives, health care, human rights and more as Congress enters what promises to be an eventful 2018.

In a wide-ranging interview, Rev. Dr. Don Anderson, executive minister of the Rhode Island State Council of Churches, talks of the expansion of Sanctuary Congregations that are preparing to aid undocumented immigrants if necessary, the Dreamers, how his organization is working with churches to make them more welcoming of transgender citizens. He also touches on gun violence at churches, synagogues and mosques, affordable housing issues in Rhode Island, and the homeless.

The arts and baseball. What do they have in common? Open Forum, of course! Erin Young, artistic director of Common Fence Point, talks about upcoming performance at the theater's two venues - Portsmouth and Warren, and red sox vice president Ron Bumgarner tells us about upcoming Red Sox holiday events.

Elliot Krieger, former book editor of The Providence Journal and author of a blog, 'Elliot's Reading', shares the best of the books he's read in 2017, a guide perhaps to some good holiday gifts and reading.

Making sense of the tax reform bills passed by the Senate and House, and now in a conference committee, is challenging. University of Rhode Island economist Len Lardaro reviews what's happening in Congress, and the likelihood that a final tax bill will be passed without adequate research or concern for how it impacts the nation's overall deficit. Len also talks about Rhode Island's economy, and what he sees as a need for stronger leadership and vision to improve and make sustainable a robust state economy.

It's giving Tuesday, and we share the importance of reaching out and helping those less fortunate. Two local organizations - The Boys and Girls Club, and Seamen's Church Institute - tell us how they are supporting many within our community.

In early Spring, Newport's Erin Parete set out on a 3.200-mile "stroll" from Newport to Oregon, a six-month journey. Along the way, she experienced the beauty of our country and the kindness and hospitality of its people. Erin didn't walk for a cause, but did it because she could, and to show 'that this country isn't as divided as we think'. Erin shares her experiences on this edition

Cranston Mayor Alan Fung, unsuccessful in a bid for Rhode Island Governor in 2014, is running again in 2018. He'll enter a spirited Republican primary, and, if successful, face a well funded Gov. Gina Raimondo. Mayor Fung joins Frank on this edition of the Open Forum